


Carry-on Qrow

by soborico



Category: RWBY
Genre: Feels, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Loyalty, Ozpin helps, Possibly Pre-Slash, Power Dynamics, Qrow has self-worth issues, devotedness being repaid with kindness????? what has Qrow's world come to, do I have something for silver/brown haired ships? mayyyyyybe, flock feels, overly comma-friendly writer, qrow can be super edgy when he wants to be
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-31
Updated: 2018-03-31
Packaged: 2019-04-16 06:08:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14158473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soborico/pseuds/soborico
Summary: "What he wanted was to get plastered, regardless of it being only midday. What he expected was to instigate a bar fight, regardless of whether or not it was intentional.Ozpin sitting down at his table was neither wanted nor expected."





	Carry-on Qrow

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to try out the dynamic between these two, and this is what I've uncovered so far. The tip of the iceberg basically, but oh do I love it

Headmaster Ozpin was a figure students had gotten used to seeing milling about. He was never obvious in his rounds of the school’s halls, but always managed to casually draw their gazes onto him. That made, of course, the instances in which he would have to withdraw from his usual routines quite evident.

_It cannot be helped._

Qrow had gone off radar for too long and there was only so much worry Ozpin could handle before he’d start turning every rock on its head trying to find him. Luckily, as he’s had overly too many interactions with short fuses in his lifetime, he’d decided to act ahead. That is how he found himself on a well-trodden road out of Beacon as a one man convoy out to intersect a certain Qrow Branwen.

——

The rundown tavern Qrow had a vague recollection of being in the area did not look as rundown as he remembered; a small detail that was unexpectedly irritable. He didn’t _want_ to watch the owner polishing pint glasses, or hear his wife hum while sweeping the floor. What he wanted was to get plastered, regardless of it being only midday. What he expected was to instigate a bar fight, regardless of whether or not it was intentional.

Ozpin sitting down at his table was neither wanted nor expected.

Thankfully, Ozpin kept silent while Qrow nursed his drink. They didn’t look at one another, gazes continuously switching between the scenery beyond the tavern’s window and the cozy details of the inside.

The air between them was not tense. Ozpin rarely depicted any outward animosity, so Qrow was not surprised that he remained quiet even though he was upset.

And of course he was upset with Qrow. After that stunt he pulled near the Vacuo border, he would have been surprised if everyone and their grandparents _hadn’t_ heard of it. That’s why he found himself in the position of avoiding to stop in Vale under any circumstance.

Grab a whole lot of alcohol to last him the journey, hire a big ass boat, and sail to Atlas. That had been the plan; and he would have gotten through with it if it hadn’t been for Ozpin and his Qrow-Branwen-is-near magic sense or whatever.

The headmaster in question broke the silence to ask the tavern owner’s wife for a cup of coffee. Typical.

Moreover, the way he interacted with an utter stranger as if they had been age-old friends, the way he smiled in gratitude at the woman when she agreed to his request; it was so - conventional. It set off more of Qrow’s alarms than he would ever admit.

Ozpin was very adamant to play pretend. Something that, at the moment, Qrow could not disagree with more.

“How have you been, Qrow?”

“Oh don’t give me that.” He focused to talk without slurring, but in turn, could not quite manage to stop himself from rolling his eyes. “You know I hate beating around the bush.”

Ozpin chuckled. “Just so. Still, it is in my interest to know how my friends have been. I had hoped you would indulge my curiosity.”

Qrow sighed in fake desperation. If Ozpin was going to insist, then fine; two could play at being an unnecessarily fancy prick.

 “I am quite alright, good sir. How are _you_ on this wonderful day?”

That particular jab seemed to shake Ozpin into a more serious demeanor.

“Qrow, you know I only wish to help you, and since you seem to want to avoid Beacon at all costs, I had to come to you.”

“You didn’t _have_ to do anything. It was your choice to come out here and act as if nothing was wrong even though you knew I had a good reason to avoid you.”

_If only he would receive a drink for every single time he’d disappointed Ozpin._

“Look-- I did the wrong thing at the wrong place and time, and people died because of it. The first thing everyone did as a reaction was point at _you_. I wasn’t about to incriminate you more than that.”

The tavern was awfully hot. It made Qrow sick. Silence settled in for a while before Ozpin hummed in answer, “I see.”

His coffee was probably getting cold. Qrow knew the headmaster was looking at him, but he could not bring himself to reciprocate.

“Still... You have been on the road for a while. Maybe it is time you-“

“No.”

The word hung heavy between them. “No way, Ozpin. The kids-- I can’t.”

A slow nod in silent acceptance; it made Qrow swallow down an unexpected sourness in his throat. Nothing about this situation, this disagreement, felt right between them.

“You seem to be awfully sympathetic concerning this,” he said when he couldn’t take the silence anymore.

“And you seem to be just as conflicted. Qrow, you know I want you to make your individual choices, but it seems to me that you have misplaced that core individuality.”

“What the fuck does that even _mean?_ ”

Ozpin cringed slightly at Qrow’s crude choice of words, but continued with an explanation.

“There’s nothing wrong with being human. Contrary to what your instinct might dictate, you are _not_ the killing machine you call for when on a mission.”

Qrow was staring off at nothing in particular, and Ozpin knew this was his way of acting stubbornly while still complying, so he persisted.

“I know you’re hurting, but I need you to understand that keeping clear of people will only result in you feeling more forsaken and alone. Please promise me you will not go that far.”

Silence settled at the table once again but Qrow’s thoughts could not be any louder. Ozpin had just asked - _begged_ \- him something. He could not ignore that, even if he had wanted to.

_Time to repent, you heartless bird._

A heavy sigh ripped itself out of his lungs as he nodded. Mutely, he wished the earth would just swallow him whole and be done with it.

But no more than a few seconds passed before a hand settled softly at the back of his neck so that Qrow was wontedly reminded of drenched feathers handled with care and bundled up by soothing warmth.

He could almost feel the smell of weathered books again.

When he raised his head, he was met with Ozpin’s smile, and it only served to harden his resolve.

He would always place others above himself, but he will forever value Oz beyond that.

**Author's Note:**

> On a complete sidenote: Have you ever observed how agitated crows are in the evening? I've caught sight of flocks with numbers in the dozens - if not hundreds - flying around like mad, twisting unexpectedly, almost crashing, screeching their lungs out, over-encumbering MASSIVE trees  
> Basically what I'm saying is, no wonder people used to pair them with the end of times lmao


End file.
